Pasadena Showcase House Shows Off Its 60th at Empty House Party

Expansive 1928, 5.5-acre Monterey Colonial estate in San Marino will make its debut in April
By EDDIE RIVERA
Published on Feb 3, 2025

“This is a spectacular estate,”said Pasadena Showcase for the Arts President Matt McIntyre at Friday’s “Empty House” preview bash, “and one of the unique things about it is that it has only had two owners.” 

“The last time this home was publicly available,” he continued, “most people don’t even remember. It’s a special treat to allow the public in, and have this as our 60th house.”

“This year, we’ve had the highest response in terms of ticket sales and attendance interest,” said Showcase event co-chair Lydia Rubin.

“The combination of a stunning, historic estate and a milestone anniversary has made this an especially exciting year,” added co-chair Dottie Ewing.

Remerging after being rescheduled following the Eaton Fire, the 60th annual Pasadena Showcase House of Design is poised to be the most successful in its history, say organizers, with a dazzling selection of designers transforming the historic Bauer estate, largely unseen by the public for nearly a century.

Hundreds of guests strolled through the main house of the estate, dining on local restaurant fare, and meeting the interior designers, often in bare rooms that were just waiting for their new looks.

According to McIntyre, this year’s estate meets the organization’s stringent selection criteria, which include having at least two staircases, a minimum of one flat acre of land, and 10,000 square feet of living space.

The 2025 Showcase House, an expansive 5.5-acre Monterey Colonial estate, is a rare gem in Pasadena’s architectural landscape. 

The Pasadena Showcase House of Design is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious home design showcases, with proceeds supporting Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts. The nonprofit has contributed more than $23 million to music and arts programs in Southern California, including funding for music therapy, school arts programs, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

This year’s house will feature a diverse mix of more than two dozen returning and first-time designers, each bringing a unique vision to their spaces. Among them is local designer Kirsten Blazek, who is transforming the estate’s 1,100-square-foot carriage house.

“I like to work in earth tones, so I wanted to take the Dunn Edwards color palette and do a modern take on the era of the house,” said Blazek. “We’re using vintage materials and incorporating a checkerboard floor in the kitchen, as well as mesh cabinets to balance modern and traditional styles.”

For Blazek, participating in the Showcase House is a thrill. “This is our first year doing the Showcase House, and we’re very excited,” she said. “I’ve lived in Pasadena and Altadena for 16 years, and it’s an honor to be part of this 60th celebration.”

One of the more imaginative spaces in the house is Meredith Green’s “Purse Room,” inspired by a collection of handbags left behind by the estate’s most recent owner.

“All these little hubs were purses from the original home—not the original homeowner, but the most recent one,” Green explained. “I thought, ‘Let’s take a little inspiration from what was here and mix it in.’ It’s going to have an Italian ‘bella’ feel with beautiful accents.”

Designer Carmine Sabatella, a returning participant, has taken a drastically different approach to his space, embracing a hyper-masculine aesthetic for the gentleman’s lounge.

“I wanted to do something completely different from last year, when I designed a hyper-feminine room,” Sabatella said. “So I leaned into a rich, deep chocolate color for the entire room, including the ceiling.”

Sabatella’s design also includes a whiskey bar converted from a closet, vintage leather chairs, and a Ralph Lauren plaid wallpapered seating area. He drew inspiration from the former homeowner, an Emmy-winning writer, by refurbishing his writing desk and positioning it as a focal point in the space.

While the house itself is a centerpiece, the Showcase event extends beyond interior design. A full restaurant will be located in the estate’s garage, with a theme yet to be finalized as designers refine their concepts.

In addition to its design showcase, the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts remains committed to its philanthropic mission. Funds raised from the event support local music and arts programs, including the Instrumental Competition, which helps young musicians, and the Music Mobile, a program introducing elementary school students to orchestral instruments.

As the construction begins this weekend on this year’s Showcase House, McIntyre emphasized the broader significance of the event.

“We really want this to be a great celebration of community,” he said. “Two of our designers lost their homes in the Eaton Fire, and when we gave them the opportunity to step aside, they both said ‘absolutely not’—they wanted to focus on something positive. That kind of spirit is what makes this event so special.”

The Pasadena Showcase House of Design opens to the public on April 20 and continues Tuesday – Sunday until May 18, inviting visitors to step inside a historic estate reimagined by some of the most creative minds in home design, while supporting the arts and music programs that help define Pasadena’s cultural landscape.

For tickets or more information visit www.pasadenashowcase.org.

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